Monday, November 19, 2012

Things to Do in Chubu #1: Hiking Kinka Mountain at Gifu City

Things to do in Chubu #1: Hiking Kinka Mountain at Gifu City

(From the side of the park opposite the ropeway station)

中部に楽しんだ：第一番

岐阜金華山にハイキング

ロープウェイーの公園の向かい側の方のハイキング道

This is the park at the entrance of the east side of the park. It's more oriented toward locals and there is free parking! On the other side with access to the ropeway, parking is sparse and there are fees.

There is a shrine at the entrance to the park. This was waiting in the stone lantern.

神社があった。こんな可愛いものはあった！

All kinds of little creatures to notice on the walk up, including my favorite family of decomposers: Mushrooms. I wouldn't eat these if I were you.

自然でいっぱい見つけれる！毎回、どんな季節でも楽しめる！私の好きな生物の王国のきのこだ！

Various trails are connected from that trail, this sign is directing us to Gifu castle, for those who really want to be on top!

ハイキング道沢山！大体毎回岐阜城までにする。

The view from the cliff side of the trail where there is a fork partway up. This is on a basic, misty, smoggy day in the Gifu. Just recently I went up after the typhoon. For a spectacular view, wait for a typhoon to wipe the smog of the auto industry away.

ハイキング道の崖の方からの風景。私の体験にはこれは普通の見れるぐらいだ。台風が来たら、次の日に行ったら、すごく遠く見れるようになる。

This is no "walk in the park." The first time you come you may feel like it is better for mountain goats. This is on the "cliff" side of the trail. You may have to crawl up on all fours. But it's worth it for awesome views and actually proably if you attempted a second time you wouldn't feel it so difficult.

これは散歩と言えないかな。初めてに来たら、多分山のヤギか猪だけできる感じがするかも。だけど、次に来られば、優しくなる。

This is from a clearing near the entrance to the ropeway (for those who don't want to hoof it up the mountain like mountain goats). The tower is in the town I'm living in. This was on a basic smoggy day. Again, when I went here after the typhoon, you could see to Nagoya and you could even see the bay/ocean in the distance.

ロープウェイの近くの名古屋方の風景です。一宮まで見れる。台風の次の日に行ったら、名古屋も海まで見れるようになった！

My favorite part: there is ice cream at the top. But in the fall there are also mosquitoes. So you should come fully clothed and fully prepared to protect your face, as you can see one got me right in my forehead. >.< D'oh.

私のお気入りのソフトだ！秋に気をつけて、かがさいた～～＞。＜

I rate it a difficult hike for someone who has never hiked before, but unless you have a condition then it is totally worth preservering to get to the top!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Kakapo is indiginous to New Zealand and is quite endangered. This photo is a bunch of young Kakapo from the Kakapo Recovery project website. I remember learning about them from high school biology class in an animals of New Zealand film. I think they're cute.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Things to do in Chubu (Central Japan) #5: Gero Onsen Hot Spring Village

Acessible via train from Nagoya, or the Japan sea-board city Toyama. Also near Takyama folk village.

This is a more expensive trip than the others I post on my blog, if you stay overnight and factor in train fare to the destination, as it's tucked in seclusion in the mountains of Gifu. Very scenic and there are lovely spas in a variety of price ranges. But I find many of them expensive as the Japanese hot spring resort experience often involves food service in your room. The food's delicious, but room service is expensive in any country! I stayed at the Miyabitei Grand Hotel. It had great views and a great rooftop bath.

I'm still looking for my perfectly natural and stinky hot spring in Japan but have yet to find one that has notes of sulfur or lithium. But for a free time trip it's a good escape.

Hotel Miyabitei was nicely decorated. The experience may be difficult for someone who doesn't know Japanese, or may be just fine. I did all the exchanges in Japanese. Primarily they want to know what time you want your dinner, and we had complimentary use of a private bath as well for my husband and I, which the time for also had to be reserved.

More of the lovely decorations in the hotel lobby.

In Japanese, Gero is the sound that frogs make, so frog statues can be scene throughout the village. This is an Ashiyubath where you may soak your feet for free.

More of the foot bath.

It's a quaint town, and looks lovely in the winter and spring. Make that any season.

Things to do in Central Japan (Chubu) #4 Showa Village at Minokamo, GifuShowa "Village" is a little historical replication town from the same family as Meiji Village and Little World in the Gifu, Inuyama (just outside of Aichi) area. It is supposed to bring back memories of life during the Showa Era, or 1926-1989 (Apparently Godzilla and the original gameboys are already getting outdated so it's time to enshrine the memories of the time period at this park.)

Most of the replicas seem to focus on 50s/60s items such as television sets. Overall it's just a big park where you can walk around, stretch your legs, and see painted buildings. It cost money to enter but was not so expensive. Next to the park there is a Michinoeki.

They have some animals, which, perhaps it were best they didn't as the pens seemed a bit small and I can't imagine an alpaca enduring the summer in Japan, but overall it was a nice day out to stretch your legs and escape some of the smog of the big river delta that is Aichi and Mie prefecture.

Enjoy these photos, taken during springtime.

Max standing before a mock tea plantation. The tea bushes are real. It was nice.

House related to the tea plantation. Most buildings house small shops where you can pick up basic Japanese snacks like Dango (rice balls on a stick), meat on a stick, or oden fish cakes.

Various activities are available for an additional but reasonable cost, such as ceramic pot throwing on a wheel, or simlpy painting already made pieces.

Apprently people were really happy and really bright during the Showa Era.

There are murals throughout the park.

A schoolhouse, or building done in a traditional style.

A bus/train runs around the park and you can wait for it at little shack like stations like this.

Friday, October 19, 2012

We went to Itadori river, which is accessible via Minokamo city. It's scenic and has a little pull off where you can drive riverside to set up your base camp to barbecue This area is not very accessible by train and I'm not sure about the bus. The train stops here and there among the villages making its way from Gifu city to the famous hot spring town Gero, and the train usually continues to Takayama. This excursion is best made with friends and locals during summer, or whenever it is warm enough to go into the river. The water is clean enough for the tasty river fish called Ayu. Restaurants which serve the fish fresh have sprung up along the highways, if you can find out where they recommend to go. It is served grilled, broiled, and fried.

It's like a little fair, with restaurants and small snack stands along the highway that is next to the river and the pull off area. This is an octopus dumpling (Takoyaki) stand.

That's what the pullover area looks like. Lovely!

With friends, riverside!

On a cloudy day but in summer, still so hot you can go in anyway.

Here are fried ayu! Delcious! Must admit that I would have been clueless how to eat this if I didn't have my Japanese friend's dad to teach me how to pull the bones up and prep them, if you will, for eating.

Train/Bus Accessibility: No train access, access via Ichinomiya station and requires a bus, taxi, or ride from a friend to get there.

Best time to travel: Any season. Escape the heat of the Nagoya 'burbs next to the nearest river. Ichinomiya tower park is right next to one and remember feeling relief there during the oppressive heat of summer. In winter the gardens are lit "winter illumination" with Christmas lights creating a romatic or family fun environment. Flower gardens are tended in late summer and early fall (we saw cosmos)

Cost: Going to the top of the tower on a clear day will give you a view of Ichinomiya city and likely all the way to Nagoya. But trust most days are overcast and fog and pollution often obscures the view. If you go after a typhoon you can see Nagoya and beyond to the ocean, and lovely view of mountains in neighboring Gifu prefecture.

An adult is 500 yen; children, students, and seniors have discounted fare.

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About Me

I'm an English teacher in Japan, interested in foreign language (and study Japanese... French and Korean)I'm also interested in biology and medicine: functional, holistic, nutritional, and alternative therapies for metabolic and immunologic "dis-eases." You'll find a reflection of that at my blog: a mixture of rants about health issues in modern society (what helps and hurts), university life, Japanese culture, language, and also ESL teaching resources.